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Hudson Springs DGC
This is the article for the Hudson Springs disc golf course. It will eventually include a directions to the park, course overview, and hole-by-hole details. Hopefully it will also serve as a template (or at least a suggestion for a template) for all courses, if (please?) this Wiki takes off. Location Hudson, OH, USA 44236 (Google Maps|Mapquest) Located off of Stow Road, just south of Highway 80. It is accessible from Highway 480 to the North from a few side roads. Course Overview 18 holes, varying in length from about 200ft to about 550ft. Par is 67 with two par 5's, nine par 4's, and seven par 3's. The front nine is wooded and tends to feature holes that encourage aim over power. The back nine is wide open with longer holes that encourage you to give it your all off the tee, but is not without its own tree-strewn dangers. There is parking right by the first and tenth tees, but it is suggested you park slightly away from them, closer to the bathroom. The first tee in particular invites beginners to smack your car with their discs, and a powerful but poorly aimed throw from the 18th could also reach the parking lot. Hole-by-Hole Front Nine Hudson Springs' front nine is a set of holes laden with dozens of smaller trees - and a few well-placed larger trees - that can frustrate even your best shots. Par tends to be 3, and the three par 4's are among the shortest on the course. Of the two halves, the front nine is the easier. Hole 1 Par 3 - 234 ft The first hole is a short par three that introduces the front nine well, with trees strewn throughout the fairway and even encroaching on the basket. An errant throw to the right will land in hole #9's fairway, which is nothing compared to an errant throw to the left, which will land in the disturbingly close parking lot. Lefties and sidearm-throwers will probably throw over the parking lot, avoiding the trees in the fairway. This is an easy par 3 for a decent player. If you avoid the trees, your second shot should be within an easy toss of par, unless your first shot landed there. Hole 2 Par 3 - 219 ft This is not the shortest hole in the course, but the downhill slope to the basket sure makes it feel like the shortest. A few small trees before the slope will have you planning your tee shot carefully, and a huge tree at the bottom of the hill standing between you and the basket will seemingly grab your disc out of the air. The basket can be hard to see from the tee. It's behind, and a shade to the left, of the large oak. Hole 3 Par 3 - 251 ft This may be the hardest hole on the course. The fairway is so littered with trees that there is scarcely a fairway at all. Unless you know exactly where to look (behind a large tree, in the direction the tee points you) you may not even see the basket, but it's there. Lefties and sidearm throwers have a slightly better shot if they arc it over the road, and due to the length a perfect throw makes a two-shot birdie possible. But, how ever you throw it, expect your disc to hit a tree. If all else fails just try to get it to the bottom of the hill where there are less trees between you and the basket. Hole 4 Par 4 - 275 ft - "The Orchard" Another downhill, tree-laden shot, this hole would be roughly as difficult as the previous one if it was a par 3. But, as a par 4, it is instead one of the easier holes. After the grove of trees which gives this hole its name, you have a fairly easy run to the basket. That first throw will graze the treetops lest you sky your disc, and if you can do it, an overhand throw (Tomahawk chop) is recommended. If you fear you can't clear the trees you should just aim at the bottom of the hill on the left, where you'll have a pretty straight - but long - run to the basket. Hole 5 Par 3 - 210 ft Back to the short par 3's, and the fifth is the shortest on the course. However, it is not the easiest as you'll be throwing through a wall of trees at the top of a short hill at the end of your 200-foot drive. Even if you make it through these trees you will probably need two shots to reach the basket, as it's difficult to find a good line from the tee. But even if (or when) you hit the trees (or fall short) you should still have a decent shot at par as the trees do tend to be penetrable from up close. Hole 6 Par 3 - 213 ft Just like on the fifth hole, here you'll be throwing through that wall of trees at the top of the hill. However, this time you're at the top and throwing down. A couple trees in the fairway before the drop-off will make you carefully judge your shot, and a tree at the bottom of the hill will serve as a marker for the tee location and a warning to be even more careful with your shot. There is a large gap in the trees and you should either aim for this gap, or aim for your second shot to be able to go through it. The hole is right after this gap and slightly on the left, so don't throw too hard or you could easily go past it. Hole 7 Par 4 - 260 ft This hole plays a lot longer than its listed length, primarily because that wall of trees you've been dealing with forces you to zig, and another set of trees you can see from the tee will cause you to zag, as you make your laborious way from tee to basket. Thanks to the hill you are again going up, the basket is invisible from the tee but it is roughly straight ahead. If only you could throw that way. Par is a good score on this hole, and a good first shot should all but ensure birdie. Hole 8 Par 5 - 537 ft The front nine's only par 5 is the shorter of Hudson Springs two long holes. Being the shorter - and being on the front nine - it of course has trees. The first 300 feet or so of the fairway is clear of trees, making this the first hole that you can simply throw with all your might on. Go ahead, you've earned it. Your second shot will encroach on the trees, which come in from both sides to a choke-point right before the basket. With a perfect second shot, eagle is a very possible score. Birdie is far more common and for the shorter throwers par is quite good. Hole 9 Par 4 - 288 ft Ending out the front nine, you're coming back along a very similar line as the one you came out on - only backwards. This time a large tree blocks your line and you'll have to throw around it, either on the right over the first fairway or on the left where a poor shot could hit a maintenance garage or (worse) go over the fence toward the freeway. Regardless, this is a pretty simple hole and may be the easiest hole on the course. Eagle-two's are possible and birdie is expected. Back Nine The back nine at Hudson Springs features longer drives and far less trees. It also brings the lake, a creek, and on windy days the nearby highway into play. It is easily the harder of the two halves of the course, and the lack of trees can make it a bear on hotter days. Hole 10 Par 4 - 328 ft After the turn, the feel of the course changes. 30 feet or so from the tee, a short fence seperates you from a large field. If you're lucky, the playground on the right will be child-free and you can throw without fear of beaning someone in the head. However, the grove (Some may say forest) that borders the fairway on the left may give you pause. In any case, your goal is NOT the basket you can see in the middle of the field. It is nestled up against the forest of evergreens, 40 feet or so past the single deciduous tree you can see from the tee. Aim for that lone tree with your first shot and hope you can see the basket for your second. Hole 11 Par 4 - 390 ft This hole is nearly the twin of the 10th hole, with two important differences: There is no playground to worry about, and the hole is much longer. These two differences add up to one thing: Throw hard! Feel free to aim out into the field (to avoid the trees and give you a better angle at the hole) but watch out, as you share the field with hole 17 coming back at you. Again, the hole is nestled up into the trees, so be careful on your next shot. Hole 12 Par 4 - 336 ft This hole is simply beautiful. The tee is lined by short trees which quickly open up into a wide, left-curving fairway with rolling hills, that eventually ends at a large circular area, in the center of which is your basket. Enjoy the view, then let your disc fly. Like the previous two holes, it is much better to miss to the right than to the left. Hole 13 Par 4 - 261 ft Take a short revist to the tree-laden front nine with this short dogleg left. Watch out, it's extremely easy to hit a tree here and if you hit one of the first ones, your disc could fly into the thick grove of trees to the right or - possibly worse - into the river that lines the left side. If your first shot flies true, however, birdie is a very big possibility due to the shortness of this hole. Hole 14 Par 4 - 390 ft If you're tall enough you should be able to see the basket straight ahead and well to the right of the flag pole. Nobody, however, is tall enough to see the lake just over the rise, following the fairway all the way down the left side. Pull out your lighter-than-water disc and aim for the top of the hill in the direction of the basket. If you miss to the left, you may go over the path and into the lake. If you're afraid of that you may just as easily miss to the right and end up the thick grove of trees and bushes. This may be the hardest hole on the course. A good first shot nearly guarantees par or birdie, but a bad one could have you looking at double bogey (or worse!) Hole 15 Par 3 - 231 ft After the arduous 13th and 14th, it's nice to have a simple par three to cleanse the palate before heading back to the parking lot. No tricks here. Throw it straight and hope for a hole-in-one. Don't go crazy to the left and you shouldn't have to worry about the lake. Hole 16 Par 4 - 368 ft The 16th is a long, straight, downhill par 4 that should revitalize your confidence after the previous two par 4s. Possibly the hardest part of this hole is waiting for the pedestrians on the path between you and the basket. You can't see the basket from the tee, but you can see a large tree off in the distance. The basket is just to the right. Throw hard and go for birdie. Hole 17 Par 5 - 558 ft The longest hole in the game is even longer for frequently being into the wind - a wind that can whip up quite a force in this huge open field. You're coming back parallel to the two holes that brought you out. There's very little to trouble you here (except the shortness of your throws on windy days) so just slog it out and head for the hole. It's out there, straight ahead. Even if you can't see it from the tee because it's so far away. Hole 18 Par 3 - 269 ft The final hole is a pretty little par 3 with an open fairway leading to an uphill run to a tree-laden basket. Watch out for kids in the nearby playground, but otherwise just aim at the hole and hope you don't end up behind a tree. Category:OH Courses